My sole mode of personal transportation is my bicycle. I've never driven a car and I'm quite proud of it.
This blog is my place to rant and rave about cycling issues as I see them.

This is not a place for critics of integrated cycling - that conversation is over - segregation has no future - studies show it is not a safe or useful strategy, nor is it a healthy philosophy.

Tuesday, 11 September 2012

The Circus is In Town

On today's commute:

One particularly egregious example of 'Must Overtake Syndrome', when a clown approached behind us and, when we were just ten yards from a Stop sign, honked and zoomed past us, only to stop immediately in front of us while he took his sweet time to take a right turn.

Two attempts to right hook me and the kid - and this while we were very assertively taking the lane (because I could sense each of these clowns was up to no good).

Numerous failures to yield properly at 4-way Stops - apparently, the clowns didn't want to stop at all, let alone stop for us two cyclists who got to the intersection way before they did, had stopped, and were taking our turn.

One attempted right cross and cutting of the corner, which we anticipated because I could see the clown (driving a taxi) approaching the turn too quickly.

One clown, who approached behind us and revved his engine like a fricken nutcase as we were preparing for a left turn.

And finally, two clowns backing out of driveways without properly checking to see if the roadway was clear.

I usually see one of these maybe every week. Today I see 8 weeks' worth in 20 minutes and it's not even a full moon.

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About Me

I'm from Sheffield, Yorkshire. I lived my first 22 years in England. Between 1984 and 1986, I cycled 10,000 miles throughout Western Europe. I met my American wife in Austria in 1988 and moved to the USA in 1989. I've worked as a shop assistant, a draughtsman, an artist, a bartender, a picture framer, a writer and a genealogical researcher. My daughter and I are probably "The Silver Spring Cyclists" - the only people in town who commute on the bike every day through fair weather or foul: rain, snow, hot or cold. No matter what, we're out on our bikes.

Quotes on Cycling and Society

"When a cow follows the herd, it ends up at a slaughterhouse. When cyclists use bike facilities, they end up at an intersection, often with the same unhappy result as the cow. Use the road - it's safer!" - me again.

"Vehicular cycling techniques have not been tried and found difficult. They have been presumed difficult and not tried." - P.M. Summer, paraphrasing G.K. Chesterton

"If American bicycle advocacy leaders had championed the civil rights movement, the 'Dream' would have been reserved seating in the back of the bus." - Jack R. Taylor

"The task of the 'protected' bicycle facility is to hide collision participants from each other right up to the point of impact." - John Schubert

"Position on the road is by far the most important influence that a cyclist has over his safety. Indeed, the loss of this ability to influence the actions of others is one reason why road-side cycle tracks and shared footways increase danger at junctions. Many cyclists fail to position themselves properly because of their fear of traffic, yet it is this very fear that puts them most at risk. Encouraging unsafe behaviour by directing cyclists to more hazardous positions does nobodyany favours." - John Franklin

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so" - Mark Twain